Thread measuring device



June 30, 1964 P. K. NOORDENBOS ETAL. 3,139,235

THREAD MEASURING DEVICE Filed April 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYJ1me 1964 P. K. NOORDENBOS ETAL 3,139,235

THREAD MEASURING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1963 ATTORNEY Unw SW P n 3,139,235 THREAD MEASURING DEVICE Pieter K. Noordenbos, Ede,and Egbert H. Boiten, Ellecom, Netherlands, assignors to American EnkaCorporation, Enka, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 3, 1963,Ser. No. 270,449 Claims priority, application Netherlands Apr. 5, 19'6Claims. 01. 235-61) This invention relates to means for measuring thelength of a yarn or thread while it is being wound into package form.

In certain instances it becomes highly desirable in textilemanufacturing to know exactly the length of thread wound on a particularthread package. Of course it is possible to wind a package ofpredetermined dimensions and to use this as a basis for computing lengthof the yarn forming the package but because of variations in denier andtension during winding this computation can give only a roughapproximation. 1 I

In the prior art various mechanical methods of accom-.

plishing this measurement have been used but they have Other objects andadvantages of this invention will be apparent upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof inconjunction with the annexed drawings wherein:,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a conventional type thread'windingapparatus with one form of the measuring device of this inventionattached;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a thread windingapparatus with a preferred embodiment of this invention attached;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the disk of this invention shown incross section;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of an electrical contact disk of this invention;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of an alternative form'of electrical contactdisk of this invention;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of an optical alternative of the disk of thisinvention;

FIGURE 7 is a side view in cross section along line 7 7 of FIGURE 6.

Referring now in greater detail to FIGURE 1, the thread windingapparatus 10 is pivoted about a shaft 12 and biased by a. counter weight14 to hold the thread guide 16 againstthe thread package 18. As thethread 20 is wound on the thread package 18 the thread guide 16traversesback and forth on the traverse mechanism 22 to lay down'evenconvolutions of thread powered by means that are now shown in FIGURE 1and are not a part of this invention. The thread package 18 is supportedon a spindle shaft 24 which is rotated by external means not shown inFIGURE 1 and also not a part of this invention. The disk 26 of thisinvention is secured to the shaft 24 by the hub 28 and the set screw 30(see FIGURE 2). The disk 26 as shown in FIGURE 1 is an opticalalternative form which is shown for illustrative purposes and it is tobe understood that any one of the disks shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6could be used equally well with suitable accessories. The detailedoperation of this optical alternate form will now be discussed indetail.

An elongated light source 32 is placed in stationary position on oneside of the disk 26. As the shaft 24 3,139,235 Patented June 30, 1964Ice and the thread package 18 revolve, the disk 26 of an opaque materialsuch as metal with transparent portions such as open slots, is revolvedalso, bringing one of the open slots 34 (see FIGURE 6) into alignmentwith the path of the light emitting from the light source 32. Thiselongated light source may be a standard tubularshaped incandescent lampproperly shielded to direct the light toward the photocell 36 and issupplied with current from the power source through the wires 33. Asthis light passes through any one of the slots 34, which is-in alignmentwith the light source 32, it strikes the photocell 36 causing thephotocell to close a microswitch to complete the circuit across thewires 38. Thus there is a flow of current from the power source throughthe switch'of the photocell to the registering counter 40. This counteris a dial reading solenoid actuated type Which registers one numberhigher each time the circuit to it is completed.

Thus, as the shaft 24 and the thread package 18 are rotated to wind thethread 20 onto the package, the disk 24 is rotated and as the slots 34allow the light path to the photocell 36 to be completed the circuit tothe counter 40 is closed to actuate the counter. As shown more clearlyin FIGURE 6 some of the slots 34 are longer than others and thus as thethread package 18 grows larger the thread winding apparatus 10, as itpiv- -ots about the shaft 12, swings the photocell 36 radially outwardon the disk 26. This radial movement of the photocell causes it tobecome aligned with an increasing number of the slots 34 as it swingsoutwardly because there are a greater number of slot openings along theperiphery of the disk than near the center. Thus, as the thread packagecircumference grows larger, requiring a longer length of thread for eachconvolution, the circuit to the counter 40 is completed more frequentlyto accurately register the length of thread on the package at anyparticular moment as it is wound. 1

Similarly, an electrical contact version of this invention isillustrated diagrammatically in FIGURE 2. The shaft 24 rotates thethread package 18 along with the disk 26 as previously described. Thethread traverse mechanism 22 as part of the winding apparatus 10 pivotsoutwardly from the thread package as the size of the package grows. Aspreviously described, it pivots about shaft 12, not shown in FIGURE 2.As the mechanism 22 swings outwardly from the thread package it carriesa contact brush 42 radially outwardly along the surface of the disk 26in a pattern similar to that followed by the photocell 36 in FIGURE 1.The disk 26 of this electrical contact embodiment is made of aninsulating material such as hard rubber or Bakelite and has a plurailtyof lines of conductive material on the surface that faces the contactbrush 42. The configuration of these conductive lines is clearly shownin FIGURE 4, with some of the lines being longer than others and runningin a radial direction from the periphery of the disk 26 toward thecenter. Thus as the contact brush 42 moves radially outwardly along thesurface of the disk 26, as the size of the thread package 18 grows, itcontacts an increasing number of these conductive lines. The counter 40is actuated each time one of these conductive lines touches the contactbrush 42. In this embodiment the power source for the counter 40 is oflow voltage such as a dry cell battery 44. The negative terminal of 'thebattery is grounded to the frame of the thread winding machine of whichthe traverse mechanism 22 is a part and the positive terminal of thebattery is connected directly to the counter 40.

As the disk 26 is rotated the brush 42 comes in contact with eachconductive line 46 (see FIGURE 3) as it passes under the brush. Thisconductive line may be recessed into the insulating material 48 as shownin FIG- URE 3 or may be a very thin surface layer so long as it forms asmooth surface on the disk and is connected to the metal backing 50 andthe metal hub 28 of the disk 26. Thus there isa completed electricalcircuit from the brush 42 through the foregoing metal parts to the shaft24 and through the metal frame of the machine back to the negative sideof the battery.

As previously'explained when referring to the slots of the optical disk,the conductive lines 46 of the preferred electrical contact disk arealso of varying length extending from the periphery of the disk 26toward the center so that there are an increasing number of contactpoints with the brush 42 as the package size grows and the brush 42swings radially outwardly on the disk 26.

FIGURE 5 illustrates an alternative form of electrical disk where theconductive lines are arranged in a spiral 7 pattern' By following thedot-dash concentric circles 52 which represent imaginary paths which thecontact brush would follow on either FIGURE 4 or FIGURE 5, it isapparent that there is a larger number of points of contact on eachlarger concentric circle.

It is necessary that a different measuring disk be used for eachdifierent denier of thread to be wound on a specific thread package andto this end the disks are designed to be easily replaceable by looseningthe setscrew 30 and sliding the disk 26 off the end of the shaft 24. The

particular line or.slot pattern needed for a given denier of thread andpackage sizemay becalculated mathematically or it may be easilydetermined experimentally by one skilled in the art. After the requiredline pattern has been determined the disk may easily be made bycoating'the insulating portion with copper foil and then etching awaytheunneeded portion by processes which are "may then be used to record theelectrical. energy produced by a circuit through the brush member androtatable disk.

Inv another possible embodiment the traverse mechanism supports amagnetic eraser, a writing head and a reading head, which are positionedin this order one afteranother in tangential direction and opposite tothe disk, the disk being provided with a magnetizable layer, and thereading head being coupled with its output both to the exciter of thewriting head and to a countingmechanism for registering electricimpulses.

Every time the reading head reads a signal registered on themagnetizable layer by the writing head and transit to the countingmechanism, the writing head registers a new signal on the magnetizablelayer.

are each in a constant proportion to the thread lengths wound in equaltime intervals.

In another embodiment according to the invention the change in theradius of the package is not followed continuously by the measuringmember, but is measured stepwise.

We claim:

1. In winding apparatus including a drive shaft for rorating a packagesupport and a traverse-mechanism that follows the outward growth of thepackage as successive convolutions are Wound on said support theimprovement that comprises a counter,- an electric circuit foractivating said counter when said circuit is actuated, said circuitincluding-disk borne means rotatable with said shaft coacting with anelement borne by and, moveable with said traverse mechanism foractuating said circuit.

'2. In winding apparatus including a drive shaft for rotating 'a yarnpackage support and a traverse mechanism that follows the outward growthof the yarn package as successive convolutions are wound on said supportthe improvement that comprises a counter, an electric circuit foractivating said counter when said circuit is actuated, said circuitincluding a disk containing a plurality of conductve elements. rotatablewith said shaft and a brush moveable with said traverse mechanism tocontact varying conductive elements as the size of said yarn packagegrows. I

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the conductive elements of said diskextend radially inwardly from the Consequently, the distance between thesignals read are always equal to the constant distance between thewriting head and the reading head. This implies that the counterperiphery of the disk, some of said elements being radially longer thanothers whereby said brush contacts an increasing number of elements asit moves radially outwardly. on said disk.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the conductive elements of said diskfollow a spiraled path away from the center of the disk whereby saidbrush contacts said elements with increasing frequency as it movesradially outwardly on said disk 5. In winding apparatus including adrive shaft for rotating a yarnpackage support and a traverse mechanismthat follows the outward growth of the yarn package as successiveconvolutions are wound on said support the improvement that comprises acounter, an electric circuit for activatingsaid counter when saidcircuit is actuated, said'circuit including a disk with portions ofdifferent transparency rotatable with said shaft, a light source elementon one side of said disk,'a photocell element on the other side of saiddisk, one of said elements being moveable with. said traverse mechanismto scan said disk at different radii thereof whereby to transmit varyingamounts of light to said photocellas the size of said yarn packagegrows.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS LeaAug. 26, 1930 Royer Ian. 19, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS

5. IN WINDING APPARATUS INCLUDING A DRIVE SHAFT FOR ROTATING A YARNPACKAGE SUPPORT AND A TRAVERSE MECHANISM THAT FOLLOWS THE OUTWARD GROWTHOF THE YARN PACKAGE AS SUCCESSIVE CONVOLUTIONS ARE WOUND ON SAID SUPPORTTHE IMPROVEMENT THAT COMPRISES A COUNTER, AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT FORACTIVATING SAID COUNTER WHEN SAID CIRCUIT IS ACTUATED, SAID CIRCUITINCLUDING A DISK WITH PORTIONS OF DIFFERENT TRANSPARENCY ROTATABLE WITHSAID SHAFT, A LIGHT SOURCE ELEMENT ON ONE SIDE OF SAID DISK, A PHOTOCELLELEMENT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID DISK, ONE OF SAID ELEMENTS BEINGMOVEABLE WITH SAID TRAVERSE MECHANISM TO SCAN SAID DISK AT DIFFERENTRADII THEREOF WHEREBY TO TRANSMIT VARYING AMOUNTS OF LIGHT TO SAIDPHOTOCELL AS THE SIZE OF SAID YARN PACKAGE GROWS.